For some years now I have had a Victorian envelope with the legend Bicentenary S.P.G. Exhibition in Gothic script in the top left corner. Despite extensive research on the internet, and posing the question to the GBPS postal history consultant, I have not been able to find more than a single sentence of reference to this event. If anybody can help locate information, or provide it for me, I shall be eternally grateful. An image is, I hope, attached.

As you probalby know SPG is the Society for the Propogation of the Gospel, think it was actually formed in 1702. Papers relating to the Society are in the Bodlian Library and the Lambeth Palace Archive may hve some information

Reference to the Times on line, dated 14 November 1900 confirms the bicentenary exhibition was held at Newington Baths, Manor place, Walworth Road, opening on the 13 November 1900. See attached newspaper extract.

This is just periphal to the posting but thought it might be of interest. It is for the Society for the Propogation of the Faith.

Disinfected mail - 1845 Constantinople Turkey to Lyons, France

This is a fascinating item, written in French addressed very ornately, to

Monsieur le Vice President de la propagation de la soi a Lyons

(the propagation of the Faith)

It has several interesting aspects :- but first the postmarks

1 Constantinople datestamp

2 Pacquet de la Mediterranee

3 a transit mark for disinfected mail in Lazaret Malta PURIFIE AU LAZARETMALTE it has been slit in four places with a sharp knife to allow thefumigants to get inside.

Marseille Datestamp 29 nov 1845

5 Lyon datestamp 30 Nov 1845

Details:-

On the outside, notes have been written showing the date it was written andwhen received, a brief summary of the contents, and a note that it had beenreplied to, and that a copy had been sent to the Consul of Paris.

Where the quill has been used with force, it has gone right through thepaper, making it hard to decipher the words on the other side.

Impressive details but I suspect that the French version is 'propagation de la foi' rather than 'propagation de la soi' which could be roughly translated as 'propagation of the self' - perhaps not quite what the organization had in mind!

Thanks for looking John, yes it was the 'long S' thingummy - very interesting letter altogether, but it is not modern French, and the ink has gone through the fine paper, which has made deciphering it much harder than our usual old letters. Fortunately, we had help from a friend of a friend to translate it for us. It is the only disinfected letter we own.Never a dull moment with postal history for usRegardsEunice and Ron

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum